In large-scale fluid systems, a fluid user may consume fluid at a high flow rate and a high pressure. Large-scale fluid systems may be implemented in a variety of applications including mining, construction, marine, and others. Typically, in such large-scale fluid systems, a fluid is stored in a storage tank, and pumped by a fluid pump at a high flowrate (e.g., 50-100 gallons/minute) and a high pressure (e.g., 5,000 PSI) to a fluid user.
In one example, a fluid pump includes a plurality of pump pistons that are driven by a crankshaft to pump the fluid from the storage tank to the fluid user. The speed at which the crankshaft drives the pump pistons is sinusoidal in nature due to the shape of the crankshaft. The flow rate and output pressure of the pump system are proportional to the speed of the crankshaft. As such, the flowrate and output pressure of the pump system fluctuate in accordance with the sinusoidal characteristics of the crankshaft. Such fluctuations result in a ripple effect that disrupts fluid delivery to the fluid user. Moreover, because operation of all the pump pistons are linked to rotation of the crankshaft, the pump system is incapable of independently controlling any particular one or more of the pump pistons to compensate for ripple effects or any other dynamic changes in operating conditions.